No meal in Georgia is complete without the ubiquitous beverage—sweet tea. It goes with everything, especially a hot summer afternoon.
Though the civil war is long over, there is still a line drawn in the sand in the State of Georgia. You are either a Dog or you’re from Atlanta. There is no middle ground. Every Saturday in the fall, Georgians are glued to the action between the hedges, rooting for the boys in the silver britches.
The Major League Baseball franchise Braves have been based in Atlanta since 1966. The team has seen its share of struggles but won a World Series in 1995 and has always been near and dear to the hearts of Georgians young and old.
From barbeque and cornbread to grits and boiled peanuts, Georgians take southern cuisine to the extreme. The town of Brunswick even lays claim to originating a delicious dish called Brunswick stew. Any true-blooded Georgian has their own recipe and will tell you authentic stew has to have rabbit.
Georgia is full of fried chicken joints so any place where people will wait in line should attract your attention. At Buckner’s Family Restaurant, it’s common to see hoards of hungry Georgians huddled around the famous giant chicken statue that greets guests. Inside is the best homestyle cooking east of the Mississippi served family style so you can load up on as much fried chicken and peach cobbler as you can get your hands on.
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) is headquartered in Atlanta. When the undead rise to feast on the flesh of the living, you know where to go. In the meantime, the CDC focuses national attention on protecting public health and safety through the control and prevention of disease, injury, and disability.
ATL, The Big Peach, Hotlanta--whatever you want to call it, just know that the second ‘t’ is silent.
Pick up a copy of the country music mega-star’s albums and learn a thing or two about life in the peach state. The Newnan, Georgia native wrote about the muddy waters of the Chattahoochee River and the oppressive Georgia summers.
Every year, the pristine Augusta National Golf Club holds the Masters tournament and link-hounds of every age and handicap dream of walking into the clubhouse a champion. While the nation’s attention is on the game, for Georgians it’s a good excuse to dust off some green attire and get festive with some friends.
…Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. Those punchlines are a little dated, but comedian Jeff Foxworthy likely took quite a bit of his inspiration from his beginnings in Hapeville, Georgia. Jokes aside, outside of Atlanta much of Georgia is rural and remote.
The world’s favorite syrupy drink got its start around 1885 at Pemberton's Eagle Drug and Chemical House in Columbus, Georgia. Now headquartered in Atlanta, Coca-Cola is considered the world's most valuable brand.
Sun soaked, in a pie or from a can, peaches in Georgia just plain taste better.
People unfamiliar with Georgia may not have beaches on their mind when they think of The Empire State of the South, but the state’s coastline boasts some of the east coast’s most scenic seascapes. Tybee Island, just South of the South Carolina border, features both a North and South beach that have drawn Savannah's beach-combers and dolphin-watchers for the better part of a century.
Move over peach cobbler, here comes blueberry pie. According to U.S. Department of Agriculture, the value of blueberry production in Georgia beat the peach crop in 2005—and that margin has grown even larger ever since.
Georgians take their cycling seriously. When they aren’t training for the Tour de Georgia they’re spinning their wheels in more localized events the like Athens Twilight Criterium.
Georgia is home to Okefenokee, the largest swamp in the U.S. The national wildlife refuge covers 700 square miles along Georgia's southeastern border and includes floating peat mats, forest, prairies and canoe-able waterways.
Because Georgia is heavily forested, it has been a leading state in the production of lumber and pulpwood used both in making paper and supplying electricity. In fact, in 2013, Georgia ranked third in the nation in net electricity generation from pulpwood biomass.
The high rate of electricity generation translates to lower utility costs. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in four of the past five years, prices paid by Atlanta area consumers for electricity were at least 11 percent less than the U.S. average in the month of January.
Jekyll Island, located just off Georgia’s Southern coast, boasts some dense forests and beautiful beaches peppered with the early vacation homes of America’s elite. The Jekyll Island Club was a who’s who of the world’s wealthiest including including the Morgans, Rockefellers and Vanderbilts.
Martin Luther King Jr. was born in Atlanta and baptized at Ebenezer Baptist Church. Despite the states sordid history with the confederacy, it is important to note that the ongoing progress started with baby steps within this state.
Boxing legend Sugar Ray Robinson called Ailey, Georgia home. Considered by many to be one of the greatest fighters of all time, Sugar Ray won 173 bouts with 108 KO’s. One can only assume it was his strong Georgian bloodline and all those peaches that made him such a formidable opponent.
The four seasons in Georgia are summer, summer, still summer and Christmas, but when winter weather, however rare, does hit, be prepared for a state of emergency.
